Cuba - Lonely Planet [97]
Café del Oriente ( 860-6686; Oficios 112; appetizers CUC$8-12, mains CUC$20-27; noon-11pm) Havana suddenly becomes posh when you walk through the door at this choice establishment on breezy Plaza de San Francisco de Asís. Smoked salmon, caviar (yes, caviar!), goose liver pâté, lobster thermidor, steak au poivre, cheese plate and a glass of port. Plus service in a tux, no less. There’s just one small problem: the price. But what the hell?
Restaurante El Patio ( 867-1034/5; San Ignacio No 54; meals CUC$15-20; noon-midnight) Possibly one of the most romantic settings on the planet when the hustlers stay away, the mint stalks in your mojito are pressed to perfection and the band breaks spontaneously into your favorite tune. This place – in the Plaza de la Catedral – must be experienced at night alfresco when the atmosphere is almost otherworldly.
Cafetería Torre La Vega (Obrapía No 114a btwn Mercaderes & Oficios; 9am-9pm) This is the flop-down lunchtime place that everyone hits in the middle of a sightseeing tour. It’s perfectly placed in the middle of the Old Town with tables spilling onto the street and into a little park opposite. Diners sit with their noses in guidebooks chomping on ‘spag bol,’ pizza, chicken and sandwiches, none of it particularly expensive.
Restaurante Europa (Obispo No 112 cnr Aguiar) Fine fin de siècle furnishings lure you into this former Havana sweet shop that recently got a restaurant makeover by the City’s Historian’s office and Habaguanex. They obviously forgot to makeover the chef. Despite a menu that boasts of prize-winning cuisine (what prize?), the plate doesn’t quite live up to the billing, though the ambience is pleasant and the service eager.
Restaurante La Paella ( 867-1037; cnr Oficios & Obrapía; noon-11pm) Known for its paella (CUC$10), this place, attached to the Hostal Valencia, has an authentic ambience, but never really matches the real deal from Spain’s famous Mediterranean city. The fish is a good alternative.
Hanoi ( 867-1029; cnr Brasil & Bernaza; noon-11pm) The name might suggest solidarity with ‘communist’ Vietnam, but don’t get too excited – you won’t find any Saigon-flavored spring rolls here. Instead, what you get is straight-up Creole cuisine, with a couple of fried-rice dishes thrown in to justify the (rather misleading) name. One of the only fully restored buildings in untouristy Plaza del Cristo, the Hanoi is a backpacker favorite where the foreign clientele usually has its communal nose in a copy of Lonely Planet or Rough Guide.
La Mina ( 862-0216; Obispo No 109 btwn Oficios & Mercaderes; 24hr) A mediocre menu but a top-class location, La Mina graces a scenic corner of Plaza de Armas, meaning every tourist in Havana walks past it at some point. The food options – displayed on a stand in the street outside and backed up by an army of verbose waiters – include chicken, pork and prawns cooked in a variety of different ways but lacking in culinary panache. There’s a tempting Heladería (ice-cream parlor) around the corner in Calle Oficios.
Restaurante La Dominica ( 860-2918; O’Reilly No 108; noon-midnight) Despite a tendency to be a little overgenerous with the olive oil, La Dominica – with its wood-fired pizza oven and al dente pasta – could quite legitimately stake its claim as Havana’s finest Italian restaurant. Located in an elegantly restored dining room with alfresco seating on Calle O’Reilly, the menu offers Italy’s ‘usual suspects’ augmented by shrimp and lobster (CUC$10 to CUC$18). Professional house bands serenade diners with a slightly more eclectic set than the obligatory Buena Vista Social Club staples.
La Torre de Marfil ( 867-1038; Mercaderes No 111 btwn Obispo & Obrapía; noon-10pm Mon-Thu, noon- midnight Fri-Sun) Where have all the punters gone? Chinatown, perhaps? You feel sorry for the Marfil. Perfectly placed in Calle Mercaderes with